Post Office pursued post-mistress sisters for £34,000 even after case thrown out
The Post Office continued to pursue two branch workers for thousands of pounds after a criminal trial was ruled out over problems with computer evidence, according to BBC Scotland.
Sisters Jacquie El Kasaby and Rose Stewart were blamed for a £34,000 shortfall before a Glasgow prosecutor rejected the case in 2014 because of “issues” with the Horizon computer system.
However, the Post Office reportedly did not tell the sisters the reason why the prosecution was dropped.
Instead, it threatened to involve debt collectors if they refused to pay the Post Office back.
The sisters were eventually fired from their jobs at Gorbals Post Office, Glasgow, and agreed to pay £10,000 to settle the debt they never owed in the first place.
The sisters are among hundreds who were wrongfully blamed for shortfalls that did not exist - due to bugs, errors and deficits in the Horizon system.
Ms El Kasaby and Ms Stewart were visited by auditors in November 2012.At the time, Ms Stewart had been disguising unexplained discrepancies in the system without anyone’s knowledge.
Ms Stewart, now 58, told the BBC: “I just thought: ‘This is going to sort itself out. It must. There’s no money going anywhere, so it must be in this system somewhere.”
The pair were suspended when a shortfall of more than £34,000 was identified.
Post Office investigators attempted to bring a criminal prosecution against the sisters, but Glasgow procurator fiscal Angus Crawford ultimately told the Post Office that this would not take place after assessing the case.
Mr Crawford cited “issues” with the Horizon system, but these details were never disclosed during the mediation process, which resulted in the sisters paying £10,000 to settle the debt.
Ms El Kasaby told the BBC: “It’s appalling. I went into that mediation still feeling like the accused.”
Last week, the latest phase of the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry – which investigated civil and criminal action taken against sub-postmasters and workers – came to an end.
The next phase, which is due to begin in April, will hear from Alan Bates, the hero of the ITV drama Mr Bates vs. the Post Office; Paula Vennells, the Post Office’s ex-chief executive; along with former Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable and current party leader Sir Ed Davey, who previously served as Business, Innovation and Skills minister for Postal Affairs.
The Telegraph has approached the Post Office for a comment on the sisters’ case.
